What is endocrine disorder?

Many people must have heard of the term endocrine disorders. Once the body has endocrine disorders, various problems will arise. For example, if a woman has endocrine disorders, she will easily gain weight and suffer from gynecological diseases, and in severe cases, it will lead to infertility. Although men are less likely to suffer from endocrine disorders, the harm they can cause is very serious. So, what is endocrine disorder? Let’s take a closer look below.

A healthy human body regulates its metabolism and physiological functions through various hormones in the endocrine system and the nervous system. The endocrine system is composed of endocrine glands, scattered endocrine cells and the hormones they secrete. It is involved in regulating many physiological activities and life phenomena such as the human body's metabolic process, growth and development, reproductive aging, etc. It collaborates with various enzymes (biochemical enzymes) to maintain the relative stability of the human internal environment in order to adapt to complex and changeable changes inside and outside the body. Hormones are the messengers of the endocrine system. They are transmitted to target cells through body fluids to exert stimulatory or inhibitory effects, thereby regulating the functions of target cells. Under normal circumstances, various hormones maintain a balance through a feedback regulation mechanism. If this balance is disrupted for some reason (too much or too little of a certain hormone, or hormone resistance), it is called endocrine dyscrasia. When the human endocrine system is disturbed, various signs will appear, especially in women, where the symptoms are more obvious.

Causes

The secretion of hormones has its own rhythm. Seasonal changes, day and night alternations, sleep, diet and stress are all factors that affect the hormone rhythm. In order to adapt to the changes in various factors, the hormone feedback regulation system also forms a corresponding rhythm. If these factors change suddenly, the original rhythm will be disrupted, leading to endocrine disorders.

1. Environmental factors

When seasons change and the climate changes too quickly, it will affect endocrine function. In addition, environmental pollution is also an important cause of endocrine disorders. Due to the presence of some chemical substances in the air, after entering the human body through various channels, they will form a series of chemical reactions and lead to endocrine disorders. For example, excessive intake of exogenous estrogen can lead to menstrual cycle disorders in women.

2. Physiological factors

The endocrine glands in the human body have self-regulating functions that enable people to maintain physiological dynamic balance, but these self-regulating functions of the endocrine glands generally decline with age, leading to endocrine disorders. Some people's endocrine disorders are genetic.

The rhythm of almost all pituitary hormones is related to sleep and circadian rhythm. Therefore, people who suffer from insomnia, stay up late for a long time, and have a reversed day and night cycle are very likely to suffer from endocrine disorders.

3. Emotional factors

Psychological reasons have a great impact on endocrine. Affected by pressure from work, life, family, etc., the nerves are in a tense state. If the emotions change abnormally, it will cause hormone secretion disorders and lead to endocrine disorders. Because women are more sensitive and have unstable emotions, they are more susceptible to endocrine disorders due to internal factors such as depression, impatience, anger, and excessive thinking, which disrupt the circulation of qi and blood.

4. Nutritional factors

The human body must have sufficient and appropriate nutrition to maintain normal physiological functions, otherwise, endocrine problems will occur. For example, some people do not eat rice, meat, or even dairy products in order to lose weight, and only eat fruits or take diet pills. If people are hungry for a long time, they will suffer from malnutrition, which will cause the pituitary gland to decline in function and fail to secrete enough gonadotropin. As a result, the function of reproductive organs such as the ovaries will decline and endocrine disorders will occur.